The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has announced that additional dredgers will be mobilised from October to accelerate ongoing reclamation projects in Hulhumalé Phase III, Gulhifalhu, and Giraavarufalhu.

These projects form part of the Government’s flagship housing policy and are expected to ease the Maldives’ persistent housing shortage, a key pledge of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu.

According to HDC, two 45,000-tonne hopper dredgers and one 11,000-tonne hopper dredger will be commissioned by October. The equipment will be deployed across Hulhumalé Phase III, Gulhifalhu, Giraavarufalhu, and Uthuru Thila Falhu. The corporation noted that it is coordinating with relevant agencies to resolve potential obstacles and ensure work progresses without delay.

The Gulhifalhu reclamation is being undertaken by Boskalis, a Netherlands-based company that also completed Phase I. Under the current phase, 192 hectares of land will be reclaimed at a project cost of USD 120 million. Meanwhile, the Giraavarufalhu development will involve the deposition of 18 million cubic metres of sand, with protective revetments installed around the reclaimed area.

The Hulhumalé Phase III reclamation, linked to the Government’s Binveriyaa housing scheme, began in September last year and will create 63 hectares of land across three sites.

Alongside these projects, work is progressing on Ras Malé, the largest housing initiative in the country. A 21,000-cubic-metre dredger has already been deployed to fast-track the reclamation. The island is expected to provide a long-term solution to congestion in Malé.

The Government has also designated Uthuru Thila Falhu as an agricultural and industrial hub, complementing the housing developments underway in the capital region.